Google Apps, I believe are leading the way to student productivity. As teachers, we may see this as another hurdle in learning new technology, but students will grasp the concepts of Drive, Sharing, Collaborating, and etc, much easier than their teachers. I never thought about using the drawing as a whiteboard tool. Will have to give it a shot. Our district currently doesn't support hangouts, but with iPads we can probably use facetime in much the same way as described.

Google Apps, I believe are leading the way to student productivity. As teachers, we may see this as another hurdle in learning new technology, but students will grasp the concepts of Drive, Sharing, Collaborating, and etc, much easier than their teachers. I never thought about using the drawing as a whiteboard tool. Will have to give it a shot. Our district currently doesn't support hangouts, but with iPads we can probably use facetime in much the same way as described.

Google Apps, I believe are leading the way to student productivity. As teachers, we may see this as another hurdle in learning new technology, but students will grasp the concepts of Drive, Sharing, Collaborating, and etc, much easier than their teachers. I never thought about using the drawing as a whiteboard tool. Will have to give it a shot. Our district currently doesn't support hangouts, but with iPads we can probably use facetime in much the same way as described.

A great way to start the school year or a course/class is by having students draw a self portrait and write about themselves. Then have them present it and display in the class. Another version is to have them draw and interview a classmate and write in the 3rd person. This simple handout will help you do this in a simple fashion.

"To understand the extent to which the skills taught in education systems around the world are changing, and whether they meet the needs of employers and society more widely, Google commissioned research from The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The EIU surveyed senior business executives, teachers and students."

Preparing our students with the necessary skills for post-secondary career and college is critical, but especially for our poverty students. Too often, school is the only venue to provide these thinking, collaboration, and problem solving skills. However, many poverty schools under the pressure of standardized testing are stuck in a remediation routine of filling gaps in content, reading, and math. We must provide time for teachers to collaborate and plan integrated lessons that integrate these higher level thinking skills into their content areas.

What skills do learners need today to be prepared to be a leader as they move through school and into careers? Google commissioned a study and this post provides a short video that discusses key findings as well as a link to the final report, Driving the Skills Agenda: Preparing Students for the Future.

The Executive Summary provides a number of key findings, including the ones listed below. (The text below is quoted from the report.)

* Problem solving, team working and communication are the skills that are currently most in demand in the workplace.

* Education systems are not providing enough of the skills that students and the workplace need.

* Some students are taking it into their own hands to make up for deficiencies within the education system.

* Technology is changing teaching, but education systems are keeping up with the transformation rather than leading it.

The full report provides additional information, including a number of visuals as well as case studies. As educators it is important that we consider the skills our learners will need in the future, and this report provides insight into some of what will be needed.

Are you ready to play The Great Language Game? This online game 'challenges you to distinguish between some eighty or so languages [see a list here] based on their sound alone. In each game you're allowed three mistakes, which are kept for you to study at the end.

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.